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Carnegie Mellon University
TARTANS ABROAD STUDY ABROAD NEWSLETTER
CHRISTINE MENAND: EDITOR
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Article Page
Greetings from OIE! 1
Current Student Submissions 2-3
Follow-up SATC 4
Reasons to study abroad 4
Blogs from Abroad 4
Current Students Abroad 5
Photo Contest information 6
OIE Contact Information 6
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3
SUMMER 2015
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in
seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” -Marcel Proust
Greetings from the
Office of International Education!
Hello everyone –
It’s been a rainy and cooler summer than usual here in Pittsburgh, though it has been
gratifying to watch the visiting students enjoy their time on campus. When I would feel sad
for visitors on some of those bad-weather days, I would still always see students having a
good time - cavorting on the cut, laughing in the UC, playing tennis, or just relaxing at the
various eating areas on campus.
And I realize, WE need to make the most of our own time.
The same goes for all of you abroad. For me personally, I don’t recall if my study abroad
experiences in Moscow and London were especially cold or rainy. What I remember is the
people, the places, the events. I hope the same is with you! Make the most of this time
abroad. Live in the moment – and remember this is a time you will never forget. When you
wake in the morning, think of how this day can be especially memorable, how you can make
a difference in your life and others in a positive way! Most of you are abroad for academics
and/or internships most likely, but get out into the community and experience culture and
life.
Overall - enjoy and experience! And remember - we look forward to seeing you at
our Welcome Back Reception, Thurs. Sept. 3rd, 4:30pm, Danforth, Cohon Center.
Christine Menand
Assistant Director, Study Abroad & Exchange Programs
not marryable, and she alluded to how
in her life she had experienced “all
sorts of terrible hardship.” Her
disability takes effort to notice now:
she hardly walks with a limp and has
a truly commanding presence
wherever she goes.
So much of her life and her story is
inspiring, and reminds me that behind
each individual we meet is a much
more complicated story. Ms. Muktha
has so much love for her son, teasing
him and bringing him up often. We
learned last week that her son was an
abandoned baby on her doorstep, and
when she found him he was very ill
and in bad condition with stomach
problems. He is an incredibly vibrant
and energetic boy now, no different
from any other 10-year old. She
believes that he brought all the luck in
her life, and that after his arrival
everything in her life started to work
out.
Once, we asked about why she had
selected some of the teachers to be
part of our study and not others. In
response she made it clear to us that
running this school is more to her than
simply providing women and others
with jobs: it’s about doing something
for their lives.
One teacher, she has a physical
disability and is very shy and
“hesitant about everything.” Through
getting her involved in our projects
The best dreams happen when you’re awake!
KEEP LISTENING
JUNE 3, 2015 - BLOG
MINNAR XIE, ISTEP: BANGALORE
INDIA It’s been an incredible 10 days in India
so far, and the team is just beginning to
get settled. Last week we toured and met
the teachers at both the Mathru School
for the Blind and the Mathru Center for
the Deaf and the Differently Abled
(colloquially referred to as “the school”
and “the center”). While the school has
been open since 2000, the center recently
opened in 2012. They are 4 km apart;
just far enough to be make traversing the
distance something worth planning
around.
For the first week the team lived in
separate locations, the boys Erik and
Amal were staying in a guest room at the
school while Maya and I stayed at the
center. This meant that Maya and I were
shuttled back and forth each day from
the school where we worked and the
center where we lived. These twice-daily
15-minute drives gave us an opportunity
to gain a glimpse into the life of Ms.
Muktha, the founder and headmistress of
both the school and the center.
Born in raised in a village, she is one of
8 siblings and the only educated
daughter. When she was just 22 she got
into an autorickshaw accident, which left
her handicapped. She mentioned how in
Indian society, to be disabled is very
stigmatized. As a young woman she was
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3
SUMMER 2015
Ms. Muktha hopes to build this
teacher’s confidence. Another
teacher, she is very compassionate for
the students and Ms. Muktha wants to
keep building her skills in teaching
visually impaired students. She
mentioned that in all of the teachers
she hires, she does not look at their
grades (despite India’s obsession with
test scores–the front page of the
local paper featured a huge spread of
a student obtaining extremely high
marks). Instead, she chooses those
who care for the students and are
committed to their learning.
Maya and I became close to one of
the cooks. One night, she began to
tell us about her life. She does not
have a father, and her only sibling is
a blind sister. Knowing the difficulty
this society has against the disabled
and single women, I can only
imagine. Her mother and her sister
live quite far away, a 100-rupee bus
ride. “Education is most important,”
she mentioned several times to us,
“but me, no education.” Remarkably,
when we first met her she spoke no
English at all and had asked me if I
knew any Hindi (I was sorry to say
no). Yet over the course of a few
days she somehow managed to pick
up pieces of English, perhaps from
other cooks and staff members, and
was able to communicate basic
sentences and expressions with us.
When she mentioned her lack of
education again to us, we told her that
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE –
MINNAR XIE…
she was a “fast learner” (students are
classified as “fast” or “slow” learners
and teachers are frank about this).
When she heard this, she put her head
down, overcome with emotion. My
heart hurt, heavy with empathy. It
reminded me how important the role
of education is, and how even more
crucial are the efforts to make society
more accessible and equal.
The Mathru Educational Trust is such
an important institution, transforming
the lives of women and the disabled in
society: two groups that have
traditionally been marginalized in
India. It is amazing to watch blind
teachers and other physically disabled
teachers confidently lead classrooms,
a blind man single-handedly run the
computer lab and teach all of the
computer classes, and the school
operating with a predominantly
female administration. I am grateful
for the opportunity and privilege I
have of being here and learning from
the lives and experiences of everyone
around me. Everything I have
encountered so far has taught me to
keep listening, and to keep being
present.
[opposite right: The students from the Mathru
Center for the Deaf and Differently Abled,
(Bangalore, India) walking back from the park
on a Saturday.]
As I said before, the Medina in Rabat is like a maze. There are a
few main streets but to find them you have to be willing to wander
for a bit. This morning, I had my plan. I needed to get from Rue
Bouqrone, where I am living, to Bab Chellah. I was confident I
knew where I was going. I made my way down the empty streets
(early in the morning only a few people are around) and I loved
the quietness of the space. I arrived at an intersection of some
sorts, thinking to myself, "uhmmmm, sure! This is it." So I made a
left turn. A few minutes later, I realized that I made the wrong
turn. I thought about going back, but I was too far into the depths
of the Medina. If I had turned around, I would have been just as
lost as before. So I kept moving and asked for directions along the
way. With the help of some friendly shop keepers and a bag lady,
I made it safely to Bab Chellah. (After looking up directions on
GoogleMaps, I found out that Bab Chellah is an easy five minutes
away from the house...I was going an extra thirteen minutes
through the Medina. Whoops!) – To read more, visit Shannyn’s blog.
IT’S OKAY TO GET LOST… RIGHT?
JUNE 24, 2015 - BLOG
SHANNYN RINKER, SIT STUDY ABROAD MOROCCO
SUMMER 2015
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3
“Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.” – Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe.
SATC
(STUDY ABROAD TRANSFER
CREDIT)
If you made changes to your
course registration abroad and
have not already made
arrangements with your
academic advisor(s) please use
the follow up SATC form to
update your courses.
Please complete all categories
including URL’s to specific
courses. Once complete WITH
signature approvals, make sure to
email this new form to
“Nobody can discover the world for somebody else. Only when we discover it for ourselves
does it become common ground and a common bond and we cease to be alone.” – Wendell
Berry
SUMMER 2015
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3
BLOGS FROM ABROAD
http://carnegiestudentkiel.tumblr.com/
Adam Simpson, DAAD Rise Fellowship, Kiel, Germany
shannynraetravels.weebly.com
Shannyn Rinker, SIT Morocco, Rabat, Morocco
http://theunexpectedlab.org/surrounded-20
Joseph Hill, Glasgow Scotland and the Prague Quadrennial,
Czech Republic
SUMMER 2015
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3 TARTANS CURRENTLY ABROAD
Ian Asenjo,
Pitt in Brazil,
Florianopolis,
Brazil (photo
taken in
Blumenau,
Brazil)
(above) Jenna Houston, Unite for Sight, Chennai, India. Photo 1: This was taken as an
optometrist checked a young boy's eyes for muscle movement with a phone's flashlight at a
government school in northern Chennai, India. Photo 2: This was taken on Market Street of
Tamil Nagu in Chennai, India. The girl was the child of a food shop worker.
Joseph Hill, performance
group from TEDx
Glasgow, UK. (Joe is 3rd
from right). A combined
group of students from
various institutions who
created and performed
this summer.
Photos from Ananya Rajgarhia (above) &
Maria Navarro-Gutierrez (below), Juntos
service trip, Rosa Grande, Nicaragua.
“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous
SUMMER 2015 VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3
“All you’ve got to do is decide to go, and the hardest part is over.”- Tony
Wheeler
Office of International Education 5000 Forbes Avenue Warner Hall 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15213 [email protected] www.cmu.edu/studyabroad T: 412.268.5231 F: 412.268.7832
Some of our 2015 Photo Contest Winning Photos. Submit your photos for the 2016 contest!
